I received a message from YouTube that claims that they'll be going to a monthly paid subscription service. There weren't many details but it seems that they're doing this so that subscribers won't have to endure seeing ads on their videos. They didn't say when they were going to do this exactly, but it's scheduled to happen this year.

Although it sounded like they weren't planning on making it mandatory for every user, I think I could add the word "YET" to the end of that sentence. Anyway, enjoy free YouTube while you can.

Google Inc. plans to offer a subscriber version of YouTube as soon as this year, letting viewers see millions of videos without having to sit through ads.

Revenue from the new feature, which will put Google into more direct competition with streaming services such as Netflix Inc. and Hulu LLC, will be shared with video creators, Google told them in an e-mail that was obtained by Bloomberg. The service may debut by the end of the year, said a person with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public.

The article also has a copy of the email, which I haven't received even though I'm a long-time member and have posted videos. (More on this below.) Here are some quotes (emphasis mine):

Quote:

We're excited to build on this momentum by taking another big in favor of choice: offering fans an ad-free version of YouTube for a monthly fee. By creating a new paid offering, we'll generate a new source of revenue that will supplement your fast growing advertising revenue.

{ snip }

a similar process three years ago when we began distributing and monetizing your content on mobile devices.

Now, I've never enabled monetization (i.e., I don't have ads on my videos), which I assume explains why I haven't received the email. However, I assume a general email will to out all YouTube users when this gets close to going live.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrWhitman

Although it sounded like they weren't planning on making it mandatory for every user, I think I could add the word "YET" to the end of that sentence. Anyway, enjoy free YouTube while you can.

I'd very surprised if that ever happens -- it would just drive users to competing services. I think Bloomberg is right that it's Google's way to compete with streaming services like Netflix.

Brian

Last edited by BrianB; 09 April 2015 at 07:29 AM.
Reason: Added more explanation.

I don't have a problem watching an ad here and there for premium contents. I certainly would not want to watch ads to watch someone's homemade video about their dog Skippy, especially if the video's producer doesn't get a dime from the ad revenue.

I don't think YouTube will go premium all the time, they do make quite a bit off their ads after all. A lot of users have asked for this (apparently not realizing ad block is a thing) and it's another way to support the (ever growing) content providers who have turned YouTube into a business.

Now, as for the dinky home videos that built YouTube and still exist in limited forms, those are not ad based generally and are just there to share and have fun. SOMETIMES people make money off of them, but they don't monitorize them until after they start going viral (it's an option you can check when you upload a video that turns on ads for said video, a portion of which goes to the content creator, be it a studio or home operator).

Generally, ads are done for the big time players PewDiePie, Smosh, Jenna Marbles, some of whom have media companies behind them (Smosh is owned by Defy Media) and some who still do it out of their bedroom. This is their job, and Premium subscriptions help them, just as ad revenue does.

To make it mandatory for EVERYONE would not only kill YouTube, it would also turn away many of their content providers, from which the proverbial cash cow was born because they will be losing money as they lose subscribers.

Caveat...Google is becoming more like Microsoft* every day with their draconian grasp and control of users, so they might do this and while it would be a stupid move, that hasn't always stopped them, so YMMV.

(No insult to Google or Microsoft, still use both daily, just a business practice that it turning off people)

YouTube executives on Wednesday [21 October 2015] introduced YouTube Red, a long-anticipated subscription service that will cost $10 a month for the same videos ad-free. The company simultaneously announced YouTube Originals, a slate of original programming that will be available only on the paid service.

And this part of the article was prophetic:

Quote:

Some media executives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they felt pressured to participate in the new service. The executives said YouTube had implied that if they didn’t provide content for subscribers, there was a chance their ad-supported content would not be available on YouTube in the United States.

ESPN’s video channels on YouTube have all gone dark and its clips are all being removed, as a result of what a YouTube spokesman called “rights and legal issues.” At least for now, it seems, ESPN and YouTube have decided to go their separate ways.

The launch of YouTube Red has also blocked dozens of Japanese and Korean artists in the US. I found this out the hard way when I discovered several of my playlists that had worked fine before no longer work now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianB

Now, I've never enabled monetization (i.e., I don't have ads on my videos), which I assume explains why I haven't received the email. However, I assume a general email will to out all YouTube users when this gets close to going live.

Never got an email. In fact, I didn't realize that YouTube Red had gone live until I lost access to those videos in my playlists.